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Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. Set predominantly during World War II, Captain America: The First Avenger tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super-soldier Captain America and must stop the Red Skull, who intends to use an artifact called the "Tesseract" as an energy-source for world domination. Plot In the present day, scientists in the Arctic uncover an old, frozen aircraft. In March 1942, Nazi officer Johann Schmidt and his men steal a mysterious relic called the Tesseract,2 which possesses untold powers, from the town of Tønsberg in German-occupied Norway. In New York City, Steve Rogers is rejected for World War II military recruitment because of various health and physical problems. While attending an exhibition of future technologies with his friend, Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes, Rogers again attempts to enlist. Overhearing Rogers' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Dr. Abraham Erskine allows Rogers to enlist. He is recruited into the Strategic Scientific Reserve as part of a "super-soldier" experiment under Erskine, Col. Chester Phillips, and British agent Peggy Carter. Phillips is unconvinced by Erskine's claims that Rogers is the right person for the procedure but relents after seeing Rogers commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery. The night before the treatment, Erskine reveals to Rogers that Schmidt underwent an imperfect version of the procedure and suffered permanent side-effects. Schmidt and Dr. Arnim Zola harness the energies of the Tesseract, intending to use the power to fuel Zola's inventions, mounting an offensive that will change the world. Schmidt discovers Erskine's location and dispatches assassin Heinz Kruger to kill him. Erskine subjects Rogers to the super-soldier treatment, injecting him with a special serum and dosing him with "vita-rays". After Rogers emerges from the experiment taller and more muscular, an undercover Kruger kills Erskine and flees. Rogers pursues and captures Kruger, but the assassin avoids interrogation by committing suicide with a cyanide capsule. With Erskine dead and his super-soldier formula lost, U.S. Senator Brandt has Rogers tour the nation in a colorful costume as "Captain America" to promote war bonds while scientists study him and attempt to reverse-engineer the formula. In 1943, while on tour in Italy performing for active servicemen, Rogers learns that Barnes' unit was MIA in a battle against Schmidt's forces. Refusing to believe that Barnes is dead, Rogers has Carter and engineer Howard Stark fly him behind enemy lines to mount a solo rescue attempt. Rogers infiltrates the fortress of Schmidt's Nazi division Hydra, freeing Barnes and the other prisoners. Rogers confronts Schmidt, who removes a mask to reveal a red, skull-like visage that earned him the sobriquet "the Red Skull". Schmidt escapes and Rogers returns to base with the freed soldiers. Rogers recruits Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth, and Jacques Dernier to attack other known Hydra bases. Stark outfits Rogers with advanced equipment, most notably a circular shield made of vibranium, a rare, nearly indestructible metal. Rogers and his team sabotage various Hydra operations. The team later assaults a train carrying Zola. Rogers and Jones succeed in capturing Zola, but Barnes falls from the train to his assumed death.3 Using information extracted from Zola, the final Hydra stronghold is located, and Rogers leads an attack to stop Schmidt from using weapons of mass destruction on major American cities. Rogers climbs aboard Schmidt's aircraft as it takes off. During the subsequent fight, the Tesseract's container is damaged. Schmidt physically handles the Tesseract, which opens a wormhole into space, sucking him into it. The Tesseract burns through the plane and is lost in the ocean. Seeing no way to land the plane without the risk of detonating its weapons, Rogers crashes it in the Arctic. Stark later recovers the Tesseract from the ocean floor but is unable to locate Rogers or the aircraft, presuming him dead. Rogers awakens in a 1940s-style hospital room. Deducing from an anachronistic radio broadcast that something is wrong, he flees outside and finds himself in present-day Times Square, where S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury informs him that he has been "asleep" for nearly 70 years. In a post-credits scene, Fury approaches Rogers and proposes a mission with worldwide ramifications. Cast * Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America * Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter * Sebastian Stan as Sergeant Bucky Barnes * Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips * Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt/Red Skull * Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark * Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger * Stanley Tucci as Doctor Abraham Erskine * Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury * Toby Jones as Doctor Arnim Zola * Neal McDonough as Sergeant Dum Dum Dugan * Derek Luke as Private Gabe Jones * Kenneth Choi as Private Jim Morita * JJ Feild as James Montgomery Falsworth * Bruno Ricci as Jacques Dernier * Lex Shrapnel as Private Gilmore Hodge * Michael Brandon as Senator Brandt * Natalie Dormer as Private Lorraine * Jenna-Louise Coleman as Connie * Sophie Colquhoun as Bonnie * Damon Driver as Sergeant Michael Duffy * Anatole Taubman as Roeder * Jan Pohl as Hutter * Erich Redman as Schneider * Patrick Monckeberg as Velt * Peter Stark as a HYDRA Lieutenant * Amanda Righetti as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent * Marek Oravec as Jan * David Bradley as Church Keeper * Kieran O'Connor as Loud Jerk * James Payton as "Adolf Hitler" * Laura Haddock as Autograph Seeker * Stan Lee as General (uncredited) * Unknown Actor as Michael O'Connell (uncredited) * Unknown Actor as Henry Kaminsky (uncredited) Sequels Captain America: The First Avenger was followed by two sequels: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016). Gallery Trivia Category:Captain America Films Category:Marvel Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe Category:2011